The benefits of fasting

The holy month of Ramadan is upon us and for this month Muslims abstain from all food and drink from sunup to sundown. It is an important time for spiritual health but it is also an important time for physical health. Fasting is beneficial to overall mental and physical health and has been proven to: boost cognitive performance, reduce inflammation, improve overall fitness, support weight loss and decrease the risk of metabolic diseases.

It’s important to also note that during the periods of non-fasting, your meals should be healthy. Think about adding more vegetable protein to your diet in place of meat in the form of dried peas and beans and leafy green vegetables, swap out white rice for brown or red Moruga Hill rice. Consume more ground provisions, for example my recipe for baked sweet potato wedges makes a perfect snack, so too will fresh fruit in place of ice cream. Also remember to consume regular portion sizes and not super-size your portions.

Chickpea and kale stew in a curry coconut broth

1 cup cooked chickpeas

1 large bunch kale, veins removed, chopped

2 ripe tomatoes peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic sliced

1 small onion sliced lengthways

2 tbs coconut oil

Sauce:

1 cup coconut milk

½ tsp sesame oil

1 tbs fish sauce

1½ tbs curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

Heat oil, sauté garlic and onion, add kale and tomatoes, add chickpeas, add sauce cook until reduced by half.

Serve on its own or with rice.

Serves 4

Baked sweet potatoes with chilli and lemon

2 large sweet potatoes, about 1½ to 2 lbs

¼ cup olive oil

1 tbs minced garlic

1 tsp chilli powder

salt and freshly-ground black pepper

2 tbs fresh lemon juice

Boil sweet potatoes and peel, cut into wedges.

Preheat grill or broiler.

Combine all other ingredients, paint onto potatoes on both sides and place into a greased ovenproof pan.

Grill or broil until golden on top, turn and repeat, remove and serve at once.

Serves 4 to 6

Spiced rice with lentils and caramelised onions

½ cup dried lentils, cooked to tender and drained

4 cups sliced onions

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 cup parboiled rice

3 cloves

2 whole allspice berries

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

6 cardamom pods, crushed

1 tsp crushed garlic

2½ cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup mixed chopped fresh herbs

Heat a large frying pan and add onions, cook on a medium low heat until caramelised or dark brown in colour and tender stirring, about 15 to 20 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 1tbs oil and add spices, and garlic, stir and fry for a couple of minutes, add rice and stir to coat, add lentils, stir and add stock, bring to a boil, season with salt and add fresh herbs. Cover and steam until rice is tender, about 20 minutes, remove spices and set aside.

Place onions in the bottom of an ovenproof skillet or ovenproof dish with a flat base and high sides.

Spoon rice mixture on top, press down firmly to compact rice, bake for 20 minutes and remove from heat.

Cool a little before unmoulding.

Serves 4 to 6

Potato and onion pakoras

Pakoras are East Indian fritters made with channa flour, this is available in most of our supermarkets.

1½ cups channa flour or besan

2 tsp roasted ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chilli powder

¾ tsp hot pepper or cayenne

½ tsp baking soda

½ cup finely-chopped chopped chadon beni

⅔ cup cold water

1 large potato, peeled and grated

2 medium onions finely chopped

Vegetable oil for frying

In a mixing bowl combine channa flour with cumin, chilli powder, pepper, salt and baking soda. Stir in water.

Add potato, onion and chadon beni, stir to combine.

Drop batter by spoonful into hot oil and fry on both sides for about 2-3 minutes.

Drain well.

Serve with chutney.

Makes about 18.